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I currently work in childcare, and make $11/hr. But that is because I am educated, have infant/child CPR and first aid training, and have experience. Furthermore, that pays for two children. So $11/2=$5.50 per child per hour.
Given that baseline of a per-child number, we go from there: subtract .50 if the candidate does not have infant/child CPR/first aid, subtract another .50 for education, and subtract another .50 for lack of experience. That is $4/hr--which is a reasonable rate to pay someone under 14, who cannot work for minimum wage. For someone 14 or over, you should pay the minimum wage consistent with your state.
I say that because some teenager babysitters are better trained and better prepared than you might expect, so it's good to pay an established, consistent wage across the board. You pay for what you get.
Where to find a babysitter? Call local churches. They will be able to give you a referral. Call local high schools. They can put an ad up on their job board for you. Also, check if there are local parenting newsletters, local community listings of some kind, and advertise your need there. In my town, the local co-op has free community listings, and childcare workers here frequently advertise in there. Finally, there are professional referral services you can call, and those would be in your local YellowPages.
Personally, my employer found me (or I should say I found them) because the sitter who was leaving posted on the LiveJournal community of the local university about the job. So there are a lot of resources out there--even Craigslist has childcare listings.
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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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